


You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Work Here, But It Helps

by NeoVenus22



Category: 30 Rock
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-19
Updated: 2009-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-04 15:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoVenus22/pseuds/NeoVenus22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Donaghy probably has no clue how television actually works.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Work Here, But It Helps

Liz came back from lunch to have her train of thought interrupted by a seething argument running hotly in the writers' room. What it was about, she couldn't really say, but whatever it was had tensions running high.

"You can't invoke Godwin's Law!"

"Shut up. You spend too much time on the net."

"What's a Godwin?"

"I spend too much time on the net? You're playing with your iPhone under the desk."

"There's a euphemism for you."

"Wait, was Godwin a Nazi?"

"See, that's funny. We can use that."

"Are you insane? We can't use that!"

"Can't use what?" Liz finally asked, desperate for a clue.

She was surprised that her question somehow actually managed to get their attention. "The big boss man was here," Pete explained. "He's got a few sketch ideas for us."

* * *

"Are you out of your mind?" said Liz, closing the door hastily behind Jack. "We can't do a sketch about the Holocaust."

Jack seemed unperturbed. "I think you can. Tracy as a black Hitler. It'd get us a lot of attention from the nerds on the internet."

"Yes, I'm sure it would, because it would get us a lot of attention everywhere, like with the FCC, as we got fined and possibly canceled!"

"They can't fine you for World War Two, Lemon. The History Channel is still on the air, isn't it? They can only get you for nudity. Although that gives me an idea..."

"No," said Liz, not even needing to hear it.

"I was thinking Jenna as a sexy Rosie the Riveter. Maybe a striptease. 'We Can Do Poledancing.'" Jack waved his arm majestically, as if reading off a glittering marquee, and not just spouting off the first ridiculous and offensive thing that came to his mind.

"You're insane. You are."

"Are you telling me it's 'too soon'?" he said, with something that sounded vaguely like derision, as if Liz was the one who was nuts.

"You can't make fun of mass genocide!"

"It's revolutionary, Lemon. We'll be breaking through the glass ceiling, and finally making nothing untouchable comically. Wasn't that what you always dreamed of? Revolutionizing comedy?"

In a weird way, that Liz would later, upon reflection, never ever admit to having had happened, Jack sort of had a point. At least about her comedy-related dreams. Even though he was going about it all wrong. But if that was the moment to win her over, it was completely lost by the mere fact of him continuing to talk.

"All entertainment writers are Jews, anyway. That Jon Stewart you love so much? I don't know if you know this, but, Jew. Well, it's not surprising, but still. This is their time to shine, Lemon. This is their chance to take the Holocaust back. It won't be taboo when we're done with it."

"We can't make the Holocaust funny," said Liz. What she'd meant, obviously, was that they had no moral right to do so, but somehow Jack heard this as 'I am dumb and unfunny and a bad writer and can't make jokes, please save me, Mr. Donaghy, you brilliant mind, you'.

"Of course we can. The Germans... well, they aren't known for their food, but... You think German is the most beautiful language on Earth, Lemon, and you haven't read Mein Kampf in its original language?" Jack shook his head sadly. "What kind of savage are you? Hitler was a funny man."

Liz gaped. It was really all she could do anymore. That, or go home sick. "We're going to finish this conversation later," she said, pointing at him so he knew she was serious. Pointing meant serious business was afoot. In the meantime, she was going to go attempt damage control with her writing staff.

Liz left a bemused Jack in her office, and headed in the hallway only to spot Tracy coming towards her, fresh from makeup or wardrobe or whatever person in the building was scared or crazy enough to comply with Jack Donaghy's whims and give Tracy Jordan a Hitler mustache.

"Liz Lemon! They said you were writing me a new sketch."


End file.
